This time the Twins scored first and piled on late to carve up the Cubs and clinch a playoff berth with an 8-1 victory on Saturday. The power show had been missing of late until Eddie Rosario hit a first-inning home run. The unrepentant Josh Donaldson hit one out as well, but it was Miguel... Continue Reading »

It’s just what the doctor ordered: A three-game sweep, a nice cushion in the form of a 30-18 record and what would appear to be plenty of momentum as the Twins head to Chicago to play the White Sox and Cubs. But first there was Sunday’s game. The Twins rallied from a 3-0 deficit by... Continue Reading »

The Twins scored first and the bullpen didn’t waver as the team took four of five games from the Detroit Tigers with a 6-2 win on Monday. Starter Michael Pineda was once again impressive. He made a strong 2020 debut and was even better on Monday, giving the Twins seven innings with eight strikeouts. Reliever... Continue Reading »

Everything that went wrong on Monday — a quick exit by the starting pitcher, a worn out bullpen and not enough hits when they matter most — went according to plan on Tuesday as the Twins snapped a six-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over the Chicago White Sox. And Michael Pineda and Byron... Continue Reading »

For the Twins rotation, bullpen and offense, it goes something like this: not enough innings pitched, too many innings pitched and hits and runs in bits, but not enough overall to win. That combination played out Monday night and resulted in an 8-5 loss to the Chicago White Sox, the Twins’ sixth straight. The South... Continue Reading »

I find simulated baseball to be a lousy substitution for the real thing. And though I’ve tried to ignore it, I have peeked at what Baseball-Reference.com has done by using a program called Out of the Park Baseball 21 to simulate the 2020 season. It’s hard to miss because the data can be found almost... Continue Reading »

Like most Twins fans, I’ve been enjoying the warm afterglow of the Josh Donaldson signing these past couple of weeks. Who’s he? He’s the former slugging third baseman of the Atlanta Braves, and a longtime Twins-killer, who agreed to join the Twins on a four-year deal worth $92 million. Donaldson likely brings another 30-home run... Continue Reading »

The Twins missed out on the top free agent pitchers this winter — and I’m still puzzled that the Toronto Blue Jays snagged Hyun-Jin Ryu — but the slugging, Twins-killing third baseman known as Josh Donaldson was still available, and after reports the club was “pessimistic” about landing the “bringer of rain,” the team finally... Continue Reading »

Like most of Twins Territory, I’m feeling underwhelmed after the Twins added starting pitchers Homer Bailey and Rich Hill. Bailey, in particular, doesn’t move the needle very much, and is already being compared to former Twins pitcher Martin Perez. Perez showed up last season with some lackluster numbers as well, but after working with innovative... Continue Reading »